Court Sentences Company Director To Prison Over N99m Fraud

Court Sentences Company Director To Prison Over N99m Fraud

In a significant legal development, Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, has handed down a one-year prison sentence to Kyari Mohammed, the Managing Director of Kyari and Sons Company Nigeria Limited…..READ ALSO Tension Mounts As Court Sets Date For Dennis Idahosa’s Legal Battle Against Edo APC And Akpakomiza

The verdict stemmed from Mohammed’s initial arraignment on June 21, 2021, by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He faced charges of conspiracy and criminal misappropriation amounting to N99,750,000.00 (Ninety-Nine Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).

Following a procedural objection raised by the defense counsel, Justice Umaru Fadawu recused himself from the case, prompting its reassignment to Justice Aisha Kumaliya. Subsequently, on September 22, 2022, Mohammed was arraigned before Justice Kumaliya on amended charges bordering on conspiracy and criminal misappropriation.

During the trial, the prosecution counsels, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed and S.O Saka, presented three witnesses and tendered relevant documents as exhibits. Despite pleading ‘not guilty,’ Mohammed was convicted by Justice Kumaliya.

In sentencing, the court gave Mohammed the option of a one-year imprisonment or payment of a N200,000.00 fine. Additionally, he was ordered to restitute the sum of N99,750,000.00 to the petitioner or face ten years’ imprisonment in a Correctional Centre.

The charges against Mohammed stemmed from allegations that he fraudulently obtained food items worth N99,750,000.00 from a petitioner, purportedly for supply to a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), with a promise of payment within forty-five days. However, Mohammed failed to fulfill the agreement, neither paying for nor returning the food items as promised.